Friday, October 31, 2008

The sky is perfectly clear and and the air still as we watch the painted black and gold plane climb, circling higher and higher above the small crowd of people standing at the edge of a huge drop zone at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The people attending are close friends and family of the newly inducted members of the U.S. Army parachute team- "The Golden Knights". The plane, barely visible makes the third of its precise 3 minute 15 second passes as a small stream of white smoke appears from the plane. Murmurs race through the crowd and fingers point upward. The source of the smoke drifts slowly behind the plane and it becomes obvious that this is Rachel, free-falling with a smoke canister strapped to her heal. At the precise moment the smoke appeared, the P.A. system began playing loudly the song, "I'm Proud to be an American". Mom gazed upward at her plummeting daughter with her hands over her mouth, her eyes wet, repeating to herself, "not this song". From thirteen thousand feet away, I could feel the same sense of ultimate satisfaction and pride beaming from my sister as she continued her free-fall at over one hundred twenty miles per hour toward the earth, her smile visible from over two miles away. Her parachute opened at what appeared to be the last second and she glided and spun gracefully, and as the smoke from her heel painted beautiful pink swirls in the sky, she made her way to a perfect pin-point landing on a large red "x" placed on the field for the jumpers to aim for. She walked solemnly and proudly to the narrator's podium, shooting a glance and grin at mom and I as she walked. She then proceeded to narrate the 15 minute presentation verbatim and without written aid. The show was inspiring, but as I watched her fall, it made me realize once again that Rachel will always make me pale in my attempt at a life of true thrill and satisfaction. What can possibly tie you down when your job requires you to be thirteen thousand feet above the ground?

Posted by
Jared Medley

4 comments:

wow!!!!Wow!!!!!!WOW!!!!!!!!!!!AND I KNOW HER ;-)Your momma called me that day almost speechless, too proud for words!!! well....you and I both know her better than that....soooo full of words and beaming over the phone. She couldn't wait for me to check out the new pics on your blog. Oh, and by the way...I am absolutely in love with your photos!! Such amazing chiaroscuro! You really capture the mood...great negative space and motion/emotion!!! Keep up the great work Jared.

HI Jared, as an ex-military guy from the uk, watching Rachel's parachute experience brought back lots of memories. Thanks for making me feel like I was part of the adventure. Can you tell me more about her career? Is she an actve member of the Golden Knights? Please pass on my best wishes. Oh, to be young again!